


Trouble Sleeping

by madangelwithabox



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Human Castiel, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 03:37:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1000415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madangelwithabox/pseuds/madangelwithabox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cas has a hard time falling asleep now that he's human, and Dean tries to comfort him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trouble Sleeping

Dean lay in bed with Castiel, happiness pulsating throughout his entire being. The happiness felt fragile and uncertain, but it was the best he had felt in years. He turned to his side, looking at Cas’ face. The blue eyes were closed now; he was happy to see the former angel sleeping so peacefully. He had had issues getting to sleep in the months following the Fall -- that was, after all, in a way what had led to this.

***

Cas had had difficulty understanding that as a human, he needed sleep -- when he met up with the Winchesters a few weeks after the angels fell, he had been exhausted and delirious. It had taken Sam and Dean hours to get Cas calm enough to actually fall asleep in their motel room -- eventually, Dean had to climb in next to him and keep him company until he fell into a deep sleep. He ignored the looks Sam kept giving him as he rested his hand on Cas’ shoulder, tracing calming circles as his breaths grew more even.  
  
As the nights went on, things became easier, but Cas was never able to fall asleep unless Dean was with him. They eventually made it back to the Batcave, where Cas was given his own bed. However, the first night he had tried to sleep on his own, Dean had been woken at around midnight by the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder.  
  
“Jesus, Cas -- what’s up, man?” he mumbled as his eyes focused on Cas’ face, which looked bashful and afraid.  
  
“I can’t sleep, Dean.”  
  
“You just gotta try, Cas. Everyone sleeps.” Dean said quietly, closing his eyes as he rolled onto his back.  
  
“But I’ve never needed to before, Dean. It’s a difficult concept for me to grasp... I feel like I’m not in control when I sleep.” Cas looked down at the ground, searching for the words to express what he was feeling. Dean opened his eyes and tilted his head, waiting until Cas looked up and met his gaze. “I’m scared I won’t wake up.”  
  
Dean groaned, and then rolled across his memory foam mattress. “Come here, Cas. Just this once, okay? And then you gotta try your own bed, alright?” Cas shuffled shyly onto the bed, laying as far from Dean as possible. Things remained awkward for a few moments, and then Cas’ breathing settled into a regular pattern of sleep. Dean rolled his eyes, and eventually he fell asleep as well.  
  
The next night Dean wasn’t even asleep when he heard Cas enter his bedroom. He sat up to tell Cas he had to leave, but the look of terror on Cas’ face had him jumping up instead, putting an arm around the former angel.  
  
“You okay Cas?” Dean asked him. Cas looked up into Dean’s eyes, his face white.  
  
“I saw horrible things, Dean. I tried to sleep and I saw... I saw all the bad things I’ve done -- all the people I’ve --”  
  
“Cas, it’s alright. It’s just a nightmare. It’s not real. Come here.” Dean interrupted Castiel and pulled him to his bed, helping him lay down. For a while they both lay on the bed, saying nothing. Cas’ breathing was still erratic, and Dean felt an overwhelming urge to fix things. Hardly aware of what he was doing, he slowly reached his hand towards Cas’, squeezing it gently. Castiel froze for a moment, before lacing his fingers through Dean’s. They stayed like this for a while, and both fell asleep peacefully.

***

It only made sense that Dean and Cas had continued to share the comfort of Dean’s bed for weeks to follow, as it was the only way that Cas could ever get to sleep. Sam’s jokes about the situation had slowly faded out as Dean and Cas had become closer and more intimate during the daytime hours as well. It surprised nobody when their friendship became something more. And that led Dean to where he was now, looking upon the face of his sleeping -- friend? Partner? There didn’t seem to be any words that fit the situation. All he knew was that for the first time in a long time, both he and Cas seemed to be happy. An unconscious smile spread on Cas’ face as he reached for Dean in his sleep, tugging Dean in closer. Dean complied, his mind wandering. He wasn’t sure exactly what this was, but he was pretty sure it would continue to grow. And for once, he was looking forward to seeing what would happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm new to writing fanfic, so I hope everyone likes it! Thanks to my beta Deans-Spleen. Find me on Tumblr at madangelwithabox.tumblr.com.


End file.
